When the Jewish Community Center launched the largest capital campaign in the organization's 128-year history last year, it raised $45 million before even taking the effort public.

Michael Staenberg, co-chairman of the $49 million campaign, doubts the nonprofit would get the same results now.

"I think a lot of people are just holding back a little," said Staenberg, a local philanthropist and president of THF Realty. "There is a lot going on right now." That includes rising food and gas prices, a declining stock market, a national mortgage crisis, and a local economy waiting for the fallout from the takeover of Anheuser-Busch by Belgian brewer InBev.

These factors are creating a perfect storm for the more than 90 St. Louis organizations now on the capital campaign trail, hoping to raise a total of $2.86 billion in philanthropic support.

Thirty-five of these nonprofits plan to wrap up multiyear campaigns in 2008, with a total goal that tops the billion-dollar mark. To reach that goal, the organizations will have to raise more than $141 million before the end of the year, according to a report from the Gateway Center for Giving.

It's an ambitious goal in the current economy, according to local fund raisers and donors.

"I think it's a hard number," said Staenberg, who personally made a $15 million pledge toward the JCC campaign.

To ride out the storm, organizations are having to exercise much patience, extending the timelines of their campaigns and giving donors more time to pay up on pledges. For example, Better Family Life Inc. had planned to wrap up their $5 million campaign by the end of this year, but the organization, which provides support services to African-American families, has raised only $3 million thus far and has pushed its end date back to August 2009.

After raising just over $500,000, the Black Cat Theatre in Maplewood dropped the goal of its campaign, also originally scheduled to wrap up this year, from $2 million to $1 million. The organization now plans to extend the campaign with a second $500,000 phase with an end date of December 2009.

The targeted deadline for Central Catholic St. Nicholas School and Academy's $7.5 million campaign has been extended from the end of this year to 2011. The St. Louis city school has raised $3.5 million thus far. SSM DePaul Health Center Foundation has pushed the end date for its campaign back six months to June 2009. The hospital has raised $1.3 million, or 43 percent, of its $3 million goal.

"The combination of a declining U.S. stock market of 20-plus percent and worldwide stock market declines of 20-plus percent have eliminated a lot of appreciated stock gifts, which are really key in any kind of significant gift or endowment campaign," said John Ferring, a strong supporter of area nonprofits. Ferring, who is president of St. Clair-based Plaze Inc., and his wife, Alison, have made gifts as large as $1 million each to the Center of Creative Arts, the Contemporary Art Museum and the Shakespeare Festival. "Without question, fundraising is a lot more work, a lot more effort, and you just have to extend your time horizon."

More campaigns, more money

The number of campaigns under way has increased in recent years, as has the total goal of the campaigns. The $2.86 billion goal of the current local campaigns represents a 38 percent increase from the 2006 total goal of $2.1 billion, according to Gateway Center for Giving.

"That's a pretty significant goal going into a difficult fundraising economy," said Erin Budde, Gateway Center for Giving president. "That seems to me to be a lot coming out of our community."

According to Budde, the region's total giving reached $2.53 billion in 2002, the most recent year for which data is available. Of that amount, about $1.8 billion went to local organizations.

"When you see a (total campaign) goal that exceeds the total annual giving of the region, that's significant," Budde said.

A struggling economy "can't help but have a short-term negative effect on philanthropy," according to Todd Epsten, chief executive of Major Brands and an active donor to local nonprofits. However, Epsten also pointed out that a major intergenerational transfer of wealth is under way.

Local nonprofits also are concerned about what the outcome could be from InBev's takeover of Anheuser-Busch, a major corporate donor. InBev has indicated plans to carry on Anheuser-Busch's tradition of community involvement. On the plus side, the brewery's sale has created a lot of individual wealth among A-B stockholders. "There's great opportunity to capture some of that for charitable efforts," Budde said. "Those individuals are going to be looking for opportunities to show their support for the community and to minimize their tax burden."

Nationally, charitable giving was up 3.9 percent last year, despite the slowing economy. According to a study by the Glenview, Ill.-based Giving USA Foundation, U.S. charitable giving in 2007 exceeded $300 billion for the first time in history. But nonprofits aren't sure if the increased giving will continue.

"Charities we surveyed have concerns about 2008 for the economy and the stock market and the impact they will have on giving," Del Martin, chair of Giving USA Foundation, said in a statement.

Meeting a campaign goal now might take longer because donors are taking more time to make giving decisions, said Donna Wilkinson, who operates local fund-raising consulting firm The Wilkinson Group.

"No matter what one's net assets are, they are, at least on paper, less," Wilkinson said. "It's a longer process now, and I think it's incumbent on the organizations just to be aware of it and exercise good judgment in dealing with their donors."

A matter of time

St. Luke's Hospital recently extended both the timeline and the end goal of its ongoing campaign. In January, the Chesterfield hospital upped the ante of its Advancing Excellence with Exceptional Care campaign from $20 million to $30 million.

"In spite of the current economic climate, we still have optimism and the tremendous support of the community," said Sue Adams, executive director of development.

Thus far, St. Luke's has raised $18.5 million for the campaign that it launched nearly four years ago (the hospital's first campaign in more than 20 years). The hospital decided to increase its campaign goal to provide funds for additional projects that are part of its strategic plan, Adams said. This included funding for the Robert Paine Heart Institute, additional support for the new cardiovascular/intensive care unit and cardiovascular operating rooms, technology upgrades, and endowment support.

With the expanded goal, St. Luke's hasn't yet set a targeted end date for the campaign, which originally was a five-year program. "It's a flexible target," Adams said. "We're trying to be mindful of what the trends are right now."

Adams said the hospital also is trying to be flexible with donors, allowing for arrangements such as extended payments on multiyear pledges.

Allowing donors to pay pledges over an extended period provides a "little insulation from the up and down in the market," according to John Easley, vice president for development and external affairs at the Saint Louis Art Museum. The museum is in the midst of a $125 million capital campaign, one of the largest ever for a cultural institution in St. Louis.

In addition to providing endowment support, the campaign will help fund the museum's planned expansion, which includes new gallery and exhibition space, a parking garage, a restaurant, and a south entry for group arrivals. The museum plans to break ground later this year, with a 2011 expected completion date.

Thus far, the museum has raised more than $100 million for the campaign, which has a 2010 end date.

"The campaign really has been performing at expectations if not a little bit above," Easley said. He attributed this to the fact that it has been more than 25 years since the Art Museum last conducted a capital campaign.

Educated donors

The Art Museum is one of many local cultural institutions in the midst of a capital campaign. The total goal of area arts and culture campaigns exceeds $233 million, according to the Gateway Center for Giving's report. In total, these campaigns are 71 percent funded, according to the report.

Categories currently faring the best in fundraising are education and health, according to the report. These categories include large institutions such as universities and hospitals that are able to attract funding from a broad donor base.

Area health-care campaigns have a total goal of $216.4 million and are 84 percent funded. That includes St. Louis Children's Hospital's $125 million campaign and Barnes-Jewish Hospital Foundation's $20 million campaign, both of which concluded in December.

Area education capital campaigns have a total goal of $1.7 billion and are 84 percent funded. Three large campaigns account for $1.44 billion of that amount: the University of Missouri-Columbia's $1 billion campaign, Saint Louis University's $300 million campaign and Lindenwood University's $136.5 million campaign.

The University of Missouri has raised $952.54 million, 95 percent of its $1 billion goal. The university raised more than $160 million in fiscal 2008.

Lucy Moross, vice president for institutional advancement at Lindenwood, said that while giving in the education arena isn't tightening, donors are putting a sharper focus on what they are giving to.

"Companies and foundations are being careful to support projects and organizations that really are in line with their specific goals," Moross said. "There is a difference in tone."

Holding pattern

While these established campaigns are pushing ahead, organizations pondering launching a new campaign may want to reconsider in light of economic conditions.

"Those that are contemplating a campaign need to make a realistic assessment of their donor base," Wilkinson said.

According to the Gateway Center for Giving report, more than 25 local nonprofits are considering launching a campaign in the next 18 months. Larger organizations with an established donor base may still be able to manage a successful launch, Budde said. For example, Washington University, which completed a $1.55 billion campaign at the end of 2004, reportedly is considering a new campaign.

However, smaller organizations may want to rethink their strategy. "If donors have to make donations more narrowly, the sustained funding goes to the established organizations, as opposed to newer nonprofits," Budde said.